Means for straightening knitting needles and the like



Feb. 1, 1938. V GAs c h 2,lO7,253

MEANS FOR'STRAIGHTENING KNITT ING NE E DLES AND THE LIKE Filed May 29. 1935- 4 Sfieet s-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 1, 1938. GGGG STRICH 2,107,253

9 1933, G. GASTRICHV 0 MEANS FOR STRAIGHTENING KNITTING NEEDLES AND THE LIKE Filed May 29, 1935 4 Sheeis-Shet 5 km {N z Fl'E- -Q- G C) G 1 1f 2 Z1 Z7 M -L'J.

Z1 21 Fl 5' .li 51 50 l- 51 INVENTOR.

V ATTORNEY.

Feb. 1, 1938. a. G mma 0Z25 MEANS FOR STRAIGHTENING KNITT ING NEEDLES AND THE LIKE Filed May 29, 1955 '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fla-lg;

ATTORN Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES MEANS Ron STRAIGHTENING KNITTING NEEDLES AND THE LIKE Gustav Gastrich, Wyomissing,'Pa., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 29, 1935, Serial No. 24,012

' p 16 Claims.

The present invention relates to a novel apparatus for treating knitting machine needles or similar articles and more especially concerns improvements in the method and apparatus for the handling of such articles during the heat treatment thereof, whereby to effect a straighte and more uniform finished product.

Knitting machine needles, such as the well known spring beard type, customarily are made from lengths of wire, each of which is fabricated to provide. a shank with ashort buttat. one end and a grooved tapered portion at the other end, such latter end being Irebent upon itself to form theintegral spring beard of the needle. l hese articles on account of the very fine gauge of the v occur at the time articles are taken inthe redheat state and quenched, which operation produces a distinct change in structure due to the variation in the cross section of the needles and to difierences of temperatures at various points of the needles at the instant of quenching, the result being a variation in the internal and external stresses of any one needle and, therefore, more or less distortion of shape may occur.

From the hardening stage the needles are again heated in a liquid to remove the brittleness and to substantially release the. aforesaid heterogeneous stresses. However, the needles having become crooked or irregular in hardening do not go back to their original straight form duiing the drawing operation. Once the original preformed needle is subjected to the inherent actions of the various heat treatment steps which tend to produce distortion therein, these needles never resume their original shape, even if such deleterious stresses are released by the drawing operation, and it has always been required prior to this invention to manually straighten knitting machine needles subsequent to their hardening and drawing.

This invention contemplates the provision of novel apparatus adapted to receive a plurality of (oi. ace-'2) nently retain the straightened condition of the needles and to overcome the natural tendency toward further distortion.

A further object of the invention is .to provide a simple, efficacious device having means to substantially completely engage the entire outer surfaceof a plurality ofknitting needles and at the same time to uniformly'and accurately support the spring beards thereof throughout.

A still further object is to provide a novel spring-beard needle holding jig together with an element adapted to be inserted in the loop formed by the needle beard, whereby in such position to properly align a plurality of needles relative to the jig and at the same time to support the several components of the needle beards in opposition to the action of the clamp elements of the jig.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying draw ings, my invention resides in the novel elements of construction, devices and combination of parts in cooperative relationship, as hereinafter more particularly set forth in the claims- In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the. line 3-4,

Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 2; r

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device with '85 the clamps removed and showing the slot structure thereof, and the association of several needles therewith together with the beard spacer bar;

Figs. 6 and 7 are front and side elevations, respectively, of a spring beard needle illustrating certain irregularities in its contour asmay occur during the heat treatment thereof;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of. the device of Fig. 1 with the clamp platesremoved'and showing the arrangement of knitting needles therewith Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the beard suplf-II, Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of the beard spacing bar of the present invention illustrating the operative relationship thereof with the beard portion of a needle;

' Figs. 14 and 15 are top and side elevational views partially in section, respectively, of a drawing tank adapted to receive the devices of this invention in spaced relationship;

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 illustrating a quenching. tank; and I Figs. 1'? and 18 are views similar to Figs. 6 and '1, illustrating the straightened condition of the finished needle, after being treated in accord with this invention.

.The herein disclomd embodiment of my invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a portable device so designed as to be capable of receiving a plurality of -spring-beard knitting needles (generally two hundred or more) in spaced relationship and having integral and associated means adapted wire and after so to engage the outer surfaces of the needles to render the contour of the same, in most instances, uniformly straight.

As has been. mentioned above, knitting machine needles are made from a flne gauge steel forming, which changes their shape and cross sectional area at various points in their length, they must be hardened and then drawn to provide the proper ductility therein. Manifestly, when devices of such slender and varying contour are quenched from a red-heat there is produced a structure consisting of martensite, troostite, sorbite, etc., which distinctly differ in volumina. Wherefore, the differences in volumina and the irregular arrangement of the same produce heterogeneous stresses which cause a warping or distortion of the needle from its original straight form.

In the drawings, the novel device of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a center base structure 20 having flxedly secured'tolone end a head piece 2|, the latter forming with the base a substantially T- shaped cross-section. Thebase'ifl may be of any suitable length depending upon the facility of handling and its accommodation to the drawing and baths or tanks. Each side 28 of member. 28 is grooved or fluted from its rear edge 24 most of the way to the juncture of head piece 21 therewith, these parallel grooves II serving (see Fig. 5), as will presently be described, as means to receive and align a number of knitting needles.

Each of the grooves 25 is cut into theface'of sides 28 to approximately the depth D" of the knitting needles TN" (see Figs. 6, 7 and 17, 18)

, while the width of the grooves corresponds very needles in said grooves.

closely to the width W" of the needles, the latter dimension having just suflicient clearance to permit the manual insertion and removal of the The'depth of grooves 28 is slightly less than the dimension D", see

Fig. 12, whereby to provide for the bottoming of the needles when the face plate clamps 28 are applied, as 'will be more fullydescribed. I

Adjacent the rear end of the grooves II each side 28 of'the base" is milled to provide a relieved or stepped longitudinal groove I1,' wherein are positioned the round ends '28 of the needle shanks adjacent the butts 28. The stems and the remainders of the shanks of the needles are flattened in manufacture and consequently width "W" thereof is somewhat narrower than the orislnal wire raise. which latter is retained in the shank endportions 28 and-butts 18. As will be seen in Figs. 5'and 10, the shoulder ll between the flattened portion of the needle shank and the portion 28 lies contiguous to the inner edge of groove 21, and the grooves II extend substantially the full extent of the flattened sides of the needles.

In the process of making a spring beard needle there is pressed into the shank adjacent its upper end a longitudinally extending groove or eye adapted to receive'therein, in the manner usual to the function of a knitting machine, the pointed terminal end or tip of heard 88. The displacement of the material of the needle in the area of groove 85 causes a widening 81 of the needle at such point, and it is therefore, expedient to afford accommodation for the portion 81 in the inner or forward ends of needle recessed grooves 25. The spring beard needle to which the present embodiment of the invention is particularly directed is perfectly straight along its rear face 38 of the stem and flattened portion of the shank, which face, as will be apparent from the drawings, is bottomed in the grooves 25. Hence, the metal of the basemember 28 may be further milled away asat l0 transversely across the needle grooves 25 in line with the start of the widened portion 31 of the needle stem when the latter is placed within the groove 25, thus providing clearance for portion 81 without sacriflcing the supporting contact of thebottom of grooves-25 with the face 88 of the needle. As a matter of fact, the widened portions 81 of the needles are correspondingly less liable to stress and the beard are slightly less in thickness than the width of the stem and it is desirable to provide a substantial support in the improved device for holding and straightening these fra e p0rtions of the needles. In the drawings there is shown interposed between the base 28 and the T-head member. 21 a plate 45 having itsedgescoextensive with .the faces 28, 28 of the base member. This plate I has each of its edges provided with flutes or grooves 48 aligned with grooves 25 and which are dimensioned to snug-' ly fit the narrowed upper ends of the needles.

Thus, as a needle isplaced in a groove II it is supported on its rear side 88 upon the bottom i of groove", the flattened portion 81 and the grooves 48, the sides of grooves 2| and 48 engaging the portions of the needles contiguous to portions 81. It is to be understood that the plate 48 inserted between base 28 and head 21 is provided only to facilitate the cutting of grooves l8, and that if desired such grooves may be formed directly in the base 28 and. thus plate.

48 be dispensed with. Y Associated means are also providedto enemipass the spring beard portion of a needle which,

as is known,consists of a tapered portion rebentto overlie the groove 88 and a short angular pointed' tip end 88. To facilitate the placement and re-'- moval of the needles in the present straightening device and means for engasins the respective angular and rebent portions of the beard are separate. Detachably secured tothe' head II by or screws II are longitudinally extending dates H w ch overlie the faces of base II and the edge faces of plate 45. The inner edges, 1. e., the portions 52 adjacent plate 55 of plates 5| are provided with flutes or grooves 52 aligned with grooves 25 and 55, and of a size corresponding to the thickness of the reheat portions of the beards of the needles. Thus, with this construc tion the upper end of a needle will be held by and between the facing grooves 52 and 55 of plates 5| and 45. i

It is found desirable to also provide means fitting the looped space 54 formed by the needle beard in such manner as to firmly hold this part of the needle against distortion and at the same time to straighten any crookedness or irregularity therein caused by the quenching of the article from the red-heat of hardening. At 55 is denoted a longitudinally extending beard spacer bar which (see Fig. 11) closelyconforms to the facing surfaces of the beard loop 54. One edge 55 of the spacer bar .55 is rounded to flt the bend at theapex of the needle, the bottom and top are tapered to the exact shape of the corresponding surfaces of the needle head and'beard portions and the other edge 51 is made of sufficient height to insure the final correct spacing of the terminal point of the beard relatively to the needle groove 35. As seen in Fig. 9, the bars 55 extend from end to end of the device and each one serves to engage all of the needles on one side 23 of the base 25. I V

In assembling needles in the grooves 25, they are placed therein by hand which of course results in only the substantial alignment of the needle beards. The spacer bar 55, described above, is inserted into the beards oi all the needles held on-one side 23 of the jig, asby passing such bar from-left to right of Figs. 8 and 9. To insure the unrestricted insertion of spacer bar 55 through the plurality of needle loops, one end of such bar, see Fig. 13, is tapered both transversely and longitudinally to provide a blunt point 58. This point 58 will freely enter the beard loops, even though slightly out of alignment, and as the tapered or rounded portions 55- progress through the loops the needles will be moved thereby to bring the apex bend .of each needle in contact with edge 55 of the bar 55, thus bringing each needle in proper longitudinal alignment by forcing the appropriate portions into grooves 46 and 53.

From the foregoing it will be clear that when a needle is held by the receiving portions of the device described above such needle will be held substantially along its entire outer surface, and it should be manifest that when a needle is engaged in grooves 25, I5 and 53, each being ac-' curately formed, the same is given a straight and accurate final form.

It will also be understood that the transverse width of faces 23 of base member 25 is intended to correspond to the height of the needles to be treated, i. e., the dimension from the bottom edge 2l adjacent the grooves 21 to the juncture of the head 2| approximates the length of the needle from the bend-at the beard to the butt portion thereof. Accordingly, when ayneedle is placed within a groove 25, the beard portion will project substantially to the inner end of such groove and of the grooves 55 and 52 while the butt end adjacent the surface is provided with grooves 5| in right angular alignment with grooves 25.

These end grooves 5| as will best be seen in Figs. 4, 5 and i0, accurately engage with the butt portions. 29 of the needles.

On each side of the base 25 and adapted to closely overlie the faces 23, 23 is the removable face plate clamp 25 having one side edge 55 terminating directly adjacent the lower rear edge -of plate 5| so as to substantially cover the entire needle from butt to point. This edge 55 of clamp, plate 25 is provided with a longitudinal groove 52 adapted to embrace the outermost rebent terminal portion of the needle beard as seen in the drawings. Suitable screws or bolts 53, 53 are employed to detachably secure the clamp plates 25 to the base 20.

Also, associated with the base member 25 is an end clamp device or plate 55 detachably secured by rews or bolts 55 to the rear side or end of base 5 as will best be seen in Figs. 3 and 4. This rear clamp plate 55 cooperates with the clamp plates 25 to substantially enclose the entire outer surface of the needles held by the device.

The present novel needle straightening jig 0r device is very simple in operation and is adapted to receive and hold for straightening treatment a considerable plurality of needles. To insert the needles in the jig the plates 25 and 55 areremoved from the base, the spacer bar 55 being also removed, and the needles then are laid in the manner hereinbefore-described in each of the grooves 25. While in such position and betheir respective grooves, the two side plates 25 providing a perfectly fiat clamp surface 51 adapted to'engage the edges 58 (Fig. 7). of the needles which become the front edges of the needles when in use. In the'event (such as also shown in Fig. 7) the needles be distorted along their/vertical plane such clamp plates will force the needles into a straightened condition between the surface 51 thereof and the bottom of grooves 25. Any irregularity or lateral distortion in the shape of the needle stem or the flattened portion of the shank is corrected by means of the surface contact in the grooves 25 and the pressure applied thereto by means of the clamp plates25.

There is shown in Figs. 14 and 15 a conventional heat treating tank of the liquid type and having therein a removable basket H by which may be supportedin the drawing medium 12 a plurality of the improved needle jigs of this inven'ion, indicated in these figures of the draw-. ings at 13. After the jigs 13 have been loaded in accordance with the above description they, are

placed within a carrier basket 1| and immersed in the drawing fluid for the suitable time interval. They are then lifted from the tank I5 and quickly quenched in a cooling medium 15 within the tank 15 as seen in Fig. 16 of the drawings. Y

It has been found by extensive tests and analyses that the present invention provides a very substantial saving in the cost of finishing knitting needles, principally in providing a method by which the hand straightening of the knitting needles after heat treatment may be minimized. The present invention as described in the loregoing provides an improved method and apparatus adapted to receive a plurality of knitting ,draw the hardness therefrom which resulted from the red-hot hardening process.

It is to be understood that, while the above detailed description is more or less specific to the treatment of knitting machine needles, this invention has within its purview the adaptation of the novel method and apparatus for the similar treatment of other knitting machine elements such as loop engaging points, transfer points, welt hooks, narrowing points and the like.

Accordingly, the improvements herein specifically shown and described, by which the desired results areobtainable, can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. v

I claim:

1. Apparatus for setting in straightened condition a spring-beard knitting needle and arranged to maintain the same in straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising. a memberhaving a groove therein complementary in form to the rear and side surfaces of a finished needle, a groove. at right angles adapted to receive the needle butt, said two grooves being coplanar, and cooperating clamp means adapted to force a needle into. said grooves.

2. Apparatus for setting in straightened condition a spring-beard knitting needle and ar-,

ranged to maintain the same in straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising a member having a groove therein complementan in iormto the rear and side surfaces of a finished needle, a groove at right angles adapted to receive the needle butt, said two grooves being coplanar, associated means adapted. to engage with and support the needle beard in alignment with said grooves, and a cooperating clamp member adapted to confine a needle within said grooves.

8. Apparatus for simultaneously setting in straightened condition, spring beard knitting needles and arranged to maintain them in straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising a member having a plurality of parallel grooves therein, each groove being of a form complementary to the shape of the stem of a finished needle, an end plate having heard receiving grooves therein coplanar with 1 said first grooves, and a clamp plate adapted to cooperate with said member to confine needles within said grooves.

"4. Apparatus for simultaneously setting in straightened condition, spring beard knitting -needles and arranged to maintain them in straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising a member having a plurality of parallel grooves therein, each groove being of a form complementary to the shape of the stem of a finished needle, said member having other grooves adapted to receive the angular 'butt ends of said needles. an end plate having heard grooves therein coplanar with the stem grooves in said member, and clamp means adapted to cooperate with saidv member to confine needles within said grooves.

5. Apparatus for simultaneously setting in straightened condition, spring beard knitting needles and arranged to 'maintain them in straightened condition during an annealing op- V eration comprising a base member having a plurality of parallel grooves on each side thereof, each groove being of a form complementary to the shape of the stem of a finished needle, said member also having coplanar right angulargrooves adapted to receive the angular butt ends of said needles, and clamp plates adapted to cooperate with said member to confine needles within said grooves. 1

8.. Apparatus for simultaneously setting in straightened condition, spring beard knitting the shape of the stem oi-a finished needle, said member also having coplanar right angular grooves adapted to receive the angular butt ends of said needles, an end plate covering one end of said grooves and, having beard receiving grooves communicating with the grooves in said member, and clamp plates adapted to cooperate with the grooved sides of said member to confine needles within said grooves.

7. Apparatus for simultaneously setting in straightened condition, spring beard knitting needles and arranged to maintain them in straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising a base member having a plurality of parallel grooves on each side thereof, each groove being of a form complementary to the shape of the stem of a finished needle, said member also having aligned right angular grooves adapted to receive the angular butt ends '0! said needles, an end plate covering one end of said grooves and having beard receiving grooves communicating with the grooves in said member, a spacer element for confining the beards in associated groovesand for spacing said beards relative to the grooves of said needles, and clamp plates adapted to cooperate with the grooved sides of said member to confine needles within said grooves.

8. Apparatus for setting in straightened condition a spring-beard knitting needle and arranged to maintain the same in straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising a member having a groove therein complementary to the rear and side surfaces of a finished needle, a groove at right angles to receive the needle butt, said two grooves being in alignment,

associated means adapted to engage with and of grooves therein complementary to the rear and side surfaces of the finished needles, associated means adapted to engage with and support the outer surfacesof the needle beards,- a bar for aligning the needle beards with said associated means and for spacing the beards relative to the grooves 01' said needles, and a cooperating clamp member arranged 'to confine the needles within the grooves in said member.

10. An apparatus for setting in straightened condition a spring beard knitting needle and ar-' ranged to maintain the same in-straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising a member having a plurality of grooves therein,

having grooves therein in alignment with and of less size than said grooves to receive the reduced tips of the needles, and means having grooves therein of the same size as said second mentioned grooves and coplanar with both said two sets of grooves and arranged to receive the portions of the beards of the needles nearer the ends thereof.

11. An apparatus for setting in straightened condition a spring beard knitting needle and arranged to maintain the same in straightened condition during an annealing operationcomprising a main portion having a plurality of grooves therein, each of said grooves being of a form complementary to the shape of the stem of a finished needle, means having grooves thereinvof a reduced size compared to said grooves and in alignment therewith to receive the reduced tips of the needles, means extending back toward said first grooves at an acute angle thereto andhaving grooves therein of the same size as said second mentioned grooves and coplanar with said first mentioned grooves for receiving the attached portions of the beards of the needles, and a clamp plate for forcing the shank portions of the needles into said first mentioned grooves and having notches in an edge I thereof for receiving the free therein, each of said grooves being formed complementary to the shape of the stem of a finished needle, said portion having also grooves therein in alignment with said first grooves and of reduced 'size compared thereto for receiving the reduced tips of the needles, and means extending toward said first grooves at an acute angle thereto andhaving grooves therein of the same size as said second mentioned grooves to receive the attached portions ofthe beards of /the needles, and a bar extending through the beards of a plurality of needles in said grooves to engage the reduced portions thereof with said 'second and third sets of grooves.

' 13. An apparatus for setting in straightened condition a spring beard knitting needle and arranged to maintain the same in straightened condition during an annealing operation comprising a body portion having a plurality of grooves therein, each groove being of a form complementary to the shape of the stem of a finished needle,

said portion'having also grooves therein of reduced size in respect to said first grooves and in alignment therewith for receiving the reduced ends of the needles, means extending back toward said shank receiving grooves at an acute angle thereto and having grooves therein of the same size as said second mentioned grooves, to receive the attached portions of the beards of the needles, a bar extending through the beards of a plurality of needles in said grooves for forcing the reduced sections of the needles into the said second and third sets of grooves, and aclamp plate-for forcing the shanks of the needles into said first mentioned grooves and having notches along'one of its edges for receiving the free portions of the beards of the needles for holding them in coplanar positions with the remainders of the needles and in close contact with said bar.

14-. An apparatus for use in straightening spring beard needles comprising means providing coplanar grooves adapted and arranged to receive the portion of a needle between the apex and the groove, the portion'of the beard nearer the apex, and the portion of the beard nearer the tip, and means to press said needle portions into predetermined positions in said grooves and to put pressure on said needle portions while in said grooves throughout an annealing operation to straighten them.

15. The combination with an apparatus as set forth in claim 14 of a bar for extending through the beard portions of a plurality of needles held in the grooves of the apparatus and for supporting the beards against pressure during the annealing operation.

16. An apparatus for use in straightening spring beard needles'comprising a plate having a groove therein adapted to receive the rear face of the portion'of a spring beard knitting needle between the groove and apex, a plate having a groove therein coplanar with said groove adapted to receive a portion of the beard of said needle nearer the tip, a bar adapted to pass through the 

